Sign.



PATENTED AUG. 23, 1904,

Hui 768 179.

J'. HOTOHNER.

SIGN.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 15, 1904.

NO MODEL.

FIE-l..

' UNITED STATES Patented August 23 1904;

PATENT OEEIcE.

slew,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 768,179, dated August23, 1904.

Application filed February 15, 1904. Serial No. 193.702- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH HOTOHNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Provi deuce, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signs; andI- do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in signs, and more particularly insign letters or characters and the means forv securing them upon theslgn-board or background.

One of the objects of my invention is to i provide a fastening means forthe sign letters or characters which will hold them away at a distancefrom the sign-board or other backgroun so as to cause present anattractive and novel appearance.

Another object of my invention is to provide a fastening means of thischaracter which will permit the letters or characters to be readilyattached to and detached from the background or sign-board withoutinjury to the letters and which when the letters are applied will beentirely hidden from view.

Another object of my invention is toimprove and simplifythe constructionof de; vices of this character, and thereby render them more attractiveand durable in use and less expensive to manufacture.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts,as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis aperspeotive view of a portionof a sign-board with one of my improved letters secured thereto inaccordance with my invention. Fig.

before the same is 2 is a sectional view through the same, taken on theline 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the holdingdevices applied to the sign-board or base. Fig. 4 represents severaldetail sectional'views through letters or characters of them to throw anat -ural shadow upon the sign-board, and thereby slightly-differentforms from that shown in the other'figures of the drawings;

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 denotes a sign-board or basewhich may be of any suitable material and constructed in any desiredmanner.

. 2denotes my improved letters or characters, and 3' denotes my improvedmeans for fastening the said letters or characters upon the saidsign-board. The letters or characters 2 are hollow and open at theirbacks, as shown, being molded, cast, stamped, or otherwise formed ofmetal, rubber, fiber, glass, or. any other material which when finishedhas a smooth hardened surface.

While Ido not confine myself to the use of any particular material, Iprefer to employ vulcanized fiber, rubber, or any plastic materialcapable of being molded and pressed and which is very light in weight,durable, and when hardened has a smooth finished surface capable ofbeing gilded or otherwise ornamented without requiring painting or othertreatment. In cross-section the letters or characters may be of anydesired configuration. Their fronts tare preferably made flat, angular,or curved, as indicated in Fig. 4:, and their sides 5 are formed atsuitable intervals with pairs of openlngs or apertures 6, into pared togive it sufiicient spring or resiliency to retain the letters orcharacters 2. The retaining-tongues 7 are formed, preferably, by cuttingthe outer ends of the right-angularshaped portions 9 and bending aportion outwardly, as shown. The curved central portion of each fasteneris formed at its center with two openings or apertures 10, through whicha staple 11 or any other suitable fastening device is passed to secureit to the signboard or base 1, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. Thesefasteners 3 are secured upon the signthe fastening devices 3 boardatintervals corresponding to the intervals or spaces between the pairs ofopenings 6 in the sides 5 of the sign letters or characters.

The manner in which the letters or characters are applied to and removedfrom the fastener after the latter have been secured to the sign-boardwill be readily seen upon reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings. When itis desired to attach the letters or characters, the ends of thefasteners are bent up one at a time until the tongues? spring into theopenings 6, and when it is desired to remove them the ends of thefasteners are pressed inwardly until the tongues 7 are disengaged fromsaid openings 6. It will be observed that owing to the shape of thefasteners 2 the letters will be held firmly'and securely at a distancefrom the sign-board or background, and the means of attachment of theletters will be almost entirely hidden.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated but one letter orcharacter, that being the letter L, but it will be understood thatletters, numerals, symbols, and characters of any description may besimilarly attached to a background or base. It will be furtherunderstood that various changes in the form, proportion, and the minordetails of construction may be resorted to without departing from theprinciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the use and advantages of my invention will bereadily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fastener for sign letters or characters comprising a spring-bow,and means for securing the ends of the bow under tension to a sign,substantially as described.

2. The combination of a support, a bow secured intermediate its ends tothe support, and a sign letter or character secured to the ends of thebow and held by the bow spaced from the support, substantially asdescribed.

8. In combination, "a hollow raised sign letter or character and afastener therefor comprising a spring-bow sprung into the sign andfastened at its ends thereto, substantially as described. 4

4s. A fastener for sign letters or characters consisting of a strip orplate of spring metal having a curved central portion formed withapertures and having right-angular-shaped portions at each end, theouter ends of said right-angular-shaped portions having bentretaining-tongues, substantially as described.

5. The combinationof a support, a sign letter or character, and a bowfastened intermediate of its ends to the support and at its ends to thesign letter or character, the said intermediate portion of the bowprojecting beyond said letter or character to hold the same spaced fromsaid support, substantially as described.

6. A hollow raised sign letter or character having a fastener-springtherein and secured thereto, substantially as described.

7. A hollow raised sign letter or character having an attaching-flange,a spring-bow having rearwardly-bent ends bearing against said flange,and means for fastening the bent ends of the bow to said flange, wherebythe bow is doubly secured by its spring action and the fastenings,substantially as described.

8. A sign letter or character having attaching portions, a spring-bowhaving its ends bearing with pressure against said attaching portions,and means for securing said attaching portions to the ends of the bow,substantially as described.

9. A sign-fastener comprising a springbow, and means for attaching asign to the ends of the bow, substantially as described.

10. A sign letter or character having attaching portions, and aspring-bow having its end portions sprung into engagement with saidattaching portions, whereby the bow is held under tension, and means forattaching the ends of the bow to said attaching portions, substantiallyas described.

11. A sign-fastener comprising a bow having attaching ends outwardly andrearward] y bent, and means for attaching the rearwardlybent portions ofthe ends of the bow to a sign, substantially as described.

12. A sign-fastener comprising a bow having attaching ends outwardly andrearwardly bout, the rearwardly-bent portions of the ends of the bowbeing provided with retainingtongucs to hold the same in engagement witha sign, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

J OSEPII IIOTU llNlClt.

Witnesses:

C. L. \NYGaN'r, C. H. HAVEN.

